Homeschoolers can usually play sports at their local school, though this varies from state to state and school to school, and you'll want to contact your school and get it in writing. A fair number of homeschool groups also organize (team) sports activities.

The legal requirements for homeschooling also vary by state, so I'll need to know what state you're in before I can supply those. School age generally starts at 5, however, so you won't have to worry about the legal requirements for some time yet.

As for actually starting to homeschool, your children are still pre Pre-K. You can read to them both (this builds mental language patterns), and perhaps start your 2-year-old on learning his letters and numbers, but you won't want to push this much yet, and you certainly won't need to start phonics instruction until at least age 3. Just do fun and creative things with them for now, and read to them in your spare time.

In California you cannot play on school sports teams but there are many sports organizations outside the school system.
AYSO for soccer
Little League Baseball
ASA softball
We have Tennis teams and Basketball leagues in our area.
Just to name a few.
You do not need the school system for sports.

Theodore wrote:Homeschoolers can usually play sports at their local school, though this varies from state to state and school to school, and you'll want to contact your school and get it in writing.

Can usually? Theodore, you must be in a very homeschool-friendly state!

Actually, I think it is the other way around for most of us across the USA. Georgia has very little requirements for its homeschoolers and I don't think there is a law against it, but I have yet to hear of a GA homeschooler participating in any public school activities. From the reports I have read across the nation, I believe the trend is that more schools are telling homeschoolers they cannot participate, even if they were allowing it previously, but I have not seen any stats on this--do they exist? (Now there is an idea for a poll.)

seekingmyLord wrote:Actually, I think it is the other way around for most of us across the USA. ...From the reports I have read across the nation, I believe the trend is that more schools are telling homeschoolers they cannot participate, even if they were allowing it previously...

Colorado does allow participation in extracurriculars, but it also allows homeschoolers to be charged half-again as high a fee as kids enrolled in PS are charged to participate in extras through the PS.

We also have athletic teams and other extracurriculars here that are organized specifically for homeschoolers.

brandio wrote:How does it all work? Can they play sports? What do I have to do? So many questions I have. I have a 2 year old and a 10 month old and I am thinking about homeschooling. Please help

I can't help but ask........... what if the kids don't like sports?

I'm not a sports kind of person....... not in the "school" sense..... football/basketball/baseball/etc....... (horseback riding and dirt bikes and hiking/camping wildlife watching are my thing) ....... it just strikes me funny that sports is what you are worried about..... not the level of curriculum. But that's just me...... have I mentioned? I don't do sports......

Pam wrote:I'm not a sports kind of person....... not in the "school" sense..... football/basketball/baseball/etc....... (horseback riding and dirt bikes and hiking/camping wildlife watching are my thing) ....... it just strikes me funny that sports is what you are worried about..... not the level of curriculum. But that's just me...... have I mentioned? I don't do sports......

That reminds me of a friend of mine in another state who just started homeschooling her kids... an almost 4 yr old boy & a 5 yr old girl. They do a lot of hiking, camping & rock climbing. Those kids are probably more "athletic" than any others I know. I'm sure her kids have a lot more agility, strength, stamina, balance, etc... than mine, because I don't get out that much (a little overprotective? )

I hear you about the overprotective part........ I have finally conceded to become a Girl Scout Leader to get my girls in with other girls/kids. My boy just joined Cub Scouts... and he and Daddy have a great time.

Some of my fondest memories are of sliding down our hill on a sled, which usually ended up with me either wiping out at the bottom of the hill trying to turn (ice scrapes), or sliding over the bump and slamming into the neighbors fence (ow). We also ran all over the common area out back during summer in our bare feet, collecting assorted cuts from rocks and tough weeds; fell over on the sidewalk and scraped our knees; got knocked over by swings; crashed in our homemade go-kart; sprained our ankles; etc. But to prevent all that, we'd have had to stay inside in a padded room, which just wouldn't have been any fun at all. Personally, I liked the neighborhood a lot more when it was unfinished and interesting to explore. Anything short of broken bones or gangrene is fine by me, and you're a lot more likely to die of being fat and underexercised than you are of having a freak accident while playing outdoors.

Can usually? Theodore, you must be in a very homeschool-friendly state!

Actually, I think it is the other way around for most of us across the USA. Georgia has very little requirements for its homeschoolers and I don't think there is a law against it, but I have yet to hear of a GA homeschooler participating in any public school activities. From the reports I have read across the nation, I believe the trend is that more schools are telling homeschoolers they cannot participate, even if they were allowing it previously, but I have not seen any stats on this--do they exist? (Now there is an idea for a poll.)

States that require schools to accept homeschoolers for sports are in the minority, but many more leave it up to the discretion of the schools, and I'm willing to bet that the majority of those schools choose to accept (skilled) homeschoolers. After all, the ultimate objective of a sports team is to win, and barring any demographic from participating generally means you're weakening your team. Extracurriculars might be a different matter, because those are not win-oriented and just cost the schools money.

You hear a fair number of reports from homeschoolers who were blocked from participating in sports, but the ones who get accepted aren't going to bother to post. It's not necessarily a representative sample. You're right, this would be an interesting topic to poll people on.

Can usually? Theodore, you must be in a very homeschool-friendly state!

Actually, I think it is the other way around for most of us across the USA. Georgia has very little requirements for its homeschoolers and I don't think there is a law against it, but I have yet to hear of a GA homeschooler participating in any public school activities. From the reports I have read across the nation, I believe the trend is that more schools are telling homeschoolers they cannot participate, even if they were allowing it previously, but I have not seen any stats on this--do they exist? (Now there is an idea for a poll.)

States that require schools to accept homeschoolers for sports are in the minority, but many more leave it up to the discretion of the schools, and I'm willing to bet that the majority of those schools choose to accept (skilled) homeschoolers. After all, the ultimate objective of a sports team is to win, and barring any demographic from participating generally means you're weakening your team. Extracurriculars might be a different matter, because those are not win-oriented and just cost the schools money.

You hear a fair number of reports from homeschoolers who were blocked from participating in sports, but the ones who get accepted aren't going to bother to post. It's not necessarily a representative sample. You're right, this would be an interesting topic to poll people on.

I know that our county does not allow it at all. I have not heard any surrounding counties that do. Our BOE has no problem with the removal a child for homeschooling--quite helpful about that (maybe because of the severe overcrowding...?) but basically has the attitude that if you are out, you are out. If you want something like sports or band, you have to be enrolled.

I also know that the counties in Ohio and Florida where I have lived in the past and have family are also the same way. It would be nice if a list of counties in each state friendly to homeschool participation in public schools was available.